POWER SUPPLY UNIT FOR AEROSOL INHALER, AEROSOL INHALER, POWER SUPPLY CONTROL METHOD OF AEROSOL INHALER, AND POWER SUPPLY CONTROL PROGRAM OF AEROSOL INHALER

• US 20200136398A1
• Filed: 10/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Original Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Inventors: YAMADA, Manabu, AKAO, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 11,025,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/167 in liquid or vaporisable form, e.g. liquid compositions for electronic cigarettes
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/05 Devices without heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/30 Devices using two or more structurally separated inhalable precursors, e.g. using two liquid precursors in two cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/90 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for charging batteries thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00041 in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler includes: a power supply that is able to discharge power to a load for generating an aerosol from an aerosol generation source; and a control unit that is configured to control at least one of charging and discharging of the power supply such that the power supply does not become one or both of a fully charged state and a discharging termination state.

Claims

1. A power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler, the power supply unit comprising:

a power supply that is able to discharge power to a load for generating an aerosol from an aerosol generation source; and

a control unit that is configured to control at least one of charging and discharging of the power supply such that the power supply does not become one or both of a fully charged state and a discharging termination state, wherein

a remainder which is obtained by subtracting an amount of power stored in the power supply to cause the discharging to be prohibited from an amount of power stored in the power supply in a state where the charging is completed is defined as a discharging permission power amount, and

the control unit controls at least one of the charging and the discharging of the power supply such that the discharging permission power amount in a first state where a numerical index indicating a state where the charging of the power supply is completed and a deteriorated state of the power supply is equal to or larger than a threshold or a numerical index indicating a healthy state of the power supply is smaller than a threshold becomes equal to or larger than an amount of power required to be supplied to the load in order to empty the aerosol generation source which is unused.

2. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein

the first state is a state where the control unit detects deterioration of the power supply or suppresses the charging and the discharging of the power supply.

3. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein

the aerosol generation source includes a first unit containing a medium to be atomized by the load, and a second unit containing a flavor source to add a flavor to the atomized medium, and

the control unit controls at least one of the charging and the discharging of the power supply such that the discharging permission power amount becomes equal to or larger than an amount of power required to be supplied to the load in order to empty a predetermined number, which is one or more, of the first unit.

4. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein

the aerosol generation source includes a first unit containing a medium to be atomized by the load, and a second unit containing a flavor source to add a flavor to the atomized medium, and

the control unit controls at least one of the charging and the discharging of the power supply such that the discharging permission power amount becomes equal to or larger than an amount of power required to be supplied to the load in order to empty a predetermined number, which is one or more, of the second unit.

5. An aerosol inhaler comprising:

the power supply unit according to claim 3;

the first unit; and

the second unit that is emptied more quickly than the first unit which is unused if discharging of power to the load is performed when the second unit is unused.

6. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit performs the charging of the power supply such that the power supply does not become the fully charged state.

7. The power supply unit according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit performs the charging of the power supply such that an upper limit value for SOC indicating a ratio of an amount of power stored in the power supply to a full charge capacity of the power supply becomes equal to or smaller than 95%.

8. The power supply unit according to claim 7, wherein

the control unit performs the charging of the power supply such that the upper limit value for SOC indicating the ratio of the amount of power stored in the power supply to the full charge capacity of the power supply becomes equal to or smaller than 90%.

9. A power supply control method of an aerosol inhaler, the aerosol inhaler including a power supply that is able to discharge power to a load for generating an aerosol from an aerosol generation source, the power supply control method comprising:

a control step of controlling at least one of charging and discharging of the power supply such that the power supply does not become one or both of a fully charged state and a discharging termination state, wherein

a remainder which is obtained by subtracting an amount of power stored in the power supply to cause the discharging to be prohibited from an amount of power stored in the power supply in a state where the charging is completed is defined as a discharging permission power amount, and

the power supply control method further comprises a control step of controlling at least one of the charging and the discharging of the power supply such that the discharging permission power amount in a first state where a numerical index indicating a state where the charging of the power supply is completed and a deteriorated state of the power supply is equal to or larger than a threshold or a numerical index indicating a healthy state of the power supply is smaller than a threshold becomes equal to or larger than an amount of power required to be supplied to the load in order to empty the aerosol generation source which is unused.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium in which a power supply control program of an aerosol inhaler is recorded, the aerosol inhaler including a power supply that is able to discharge power to a load for generating an aerosol from an aerosol generation source, the power supply control program making a computer execute:

a control step of controlling at least one of charging and discharging of the power supply such that the power supply does not become one or both of a fully charged state and a discharging termination state, wherein

a remainder which is obtained by subtracting an amount of power stored in the power supply to cause the discharging to be prohibited from an amount of power stored in the power supply in a state where the charging is completed is defined as a discharging permission power amount, and

the power supply control program makes the computer further execute a control step of controlling at least one of the charging and the discharging of the power supply such that the discharging permission power amount in a first state where a numerical index indicating a state where the charging of the power supply is completed and a deteriorated state of the power supply is equal to or larger than a threshold or a numerical index indicating a healthy state of the power supply is smaller than a threshold becomes equal to or larger than an amount of power required to be supplied to the load in order to empty the aerosol generation source which is unused.